Texas ? Marking his fifth Veterans Day since the invasion of Iraq, President Bush honored U.S. troops past and present at a tearful ceremony Sunday for four Texans who died there.

The White House had said Bush was going to also use his Veterans Day speech to scold Congress for not sending him a veterans spending bill. But the president finished without any reference to the bill or Congress.

“In their sorrow, these families need to know – and families all across our nation of the fallen – need to know that your loved ones served a cause that is good and just and noble,” Bush said. “And as their commander in chief, I make you this promise: Their sacrifice will not be in vain.”

Bush, who is scheduled to return to the White House today, was in Texas for the holiday, following his two-day meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his ranch in Crawford.

Bush has spent four of the past six Veterans Days at Arlington National Cemetery. This year, Vice President Dick Cheney went to Arlington to pay tribute to Iraq veterans.